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 Cute Little Imp
Posts: 2747
   
Location: N Texas | Just saw this on Facebook. Hope they all make it!
http://www.wtoc.com/story/28556261/rare-quadruplet-calves-born-in-d...
DEKALB, TX (KSLA) -
Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moo: A DeKalb, TX heifer has managed the extremely rare feat of giving birth to 4 live calves.
The black calves, 3 bulls and a heifer, were born to a heifer owned by Dora Rumsey-Barling and her husband, Jimmy.
The heifer, described by Dora as "just a run of the mill red cow," had been bred to an Angus bull, so all 4 of the calves are black.
“We didn't think she was due, even for one calf,” Dora says.
Buzzards spotted circling over their 100-acre property in the Hubbard community south of DeKalb early Monday afternoon prompted the retired couple to head to a spot about 500 yards from the house. That's where she says they found the heifer had already given birth to 3 of the surprise calves.
“We thought that was it. We were excited about having 3!”
But this miracle bovine mother, identified by her #15 ear tag, wasn't done yet.
“She lay down and the fourth one started coming out and we watched the birth of the fourth one,” recalls Dora. “It was really exciting. The adrenaline was flowing with us!”
Twin births aren't all that unusual for cattle, but according to Veterinary Obstetrics and Genital Diseases, the odds of a cow having quadruplets are 1:700,000. The odds of having all four calves born alive are 1:11.2 million.
Neighbor and local veterinarian Michael Baird visited the cow after the birth to help her remove her afterbirth and give her antibiotics. He says he's delivered lots of calves in his 18 years as a mixed animal practitioner, including twins, multiples and even a few Siamese twins. But he has never seen anything like this. “This is truly an amazing event if you are into this sort of thing.”
“That's extremely extremely rare,” agrees Dr. Tim Page, a Professor of Animal Sciences at the LSU AgCenter in Baton Rouge. "If it's fully developed, it probably has a real good shot of making it."
"They seem well-developed," says Dora, although all 4 are "just a bit small." The female, Meenie, is the smallest at just 25 pounds. A healthy birth weight is around 75 pounds.
Dora says all 4 have struggled to stand, and while they look fully developed, they have not yet been examined for internal issues.
Two neighboring families are helping to raise 3 of the calves, including one with a Jersey cow who had a calf the same day and is able to provide plenty of milk.
The fourth remains with them and has begun to nurse by himself with his mother.
The Barlings are retired, and only keep about 20 head of cattle. "It's a hobby," says Dora, who grew up on a farm.
"We don't have pet dogs like people love and really dote over. Instead, we've got the cows."
Now, they have 4 more and an incredible story to tell.
"So far everything has gone well. It's really something unique. Never would I have imagined something like this!"
 (QuadCalves.jpg)
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 QuadCalves.jpg (74KB - 193 downloads)
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | WOW!!! That is amazing! A friend of mine works for a cattle lot, he said cows that birth bull calf/heifer calf that are twins...the heifer is sterile due to too much testrone. Pretty amazing. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | 
So adorable! I love cows...  |
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 Stinky Cat Owner
Posts: 4097
Location: Oregon | I saw this on FB but wasn't sure if it was real! That is amazing!!  |
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 Expert
Posts: 1898
| hoofs_in_motion - 2015-03-19 11:11 AM
WOW!!! That is amazing! A friend of mine works for a cattle lot, he said cows that birth bull calf/heifer calf that are twins...the heifer is sterile due to too much testrone. Pretty amazing.
Yep, you are 100% correct. Heifers in multiple births with bull calves are called "free martins". There are very few that are not sterile. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | What a story! They all look so dang cute laying there with momma! |
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Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | cyount2009 - 2015-03-19 12:41 PM hoofs_in_motion - 2015-03-19 11:11 AM WOW!!! That is amazing! A friend of mine works for a cattle lot, he said cows that birth bull calf/heifer calf that are twins...the heifer is sterile due to too much testrone. Pretty amazing. Yep, you are 100% correct. Heifers in multiple births with bull calves are called "free martins". There are very few that are not sterile.
ah yes that is what he called them! I couldn't remember ha!
They had twins born last month, one bull calf and a heifer calf....Too bad I know where that heifer calf is destined when she is older. But still adorable. |
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 Chasin my Dream
Posts: 13651
Location: Alberta | With calf prices as they are (assuming the 4 live to weaning) that's a pretty sweet payday, that mama earned her keep lol |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Holy Cow  |
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 Loves to compete
Posts: 5760
Location: Oakdale, CA | cyount2009 - 2015-03-19 10:41 AM hoofs_in_motion - 2015-03-19 11:11 AM WOW!!! That is amazing! A friend of mine works for a cattle lot, he said cows that birth bull calf/heifer calf that are twins...the heifer is sterile due to too much testrone. Pretty amazing. Yep, you are 100% correct. Heifers in multiple births with bull calves are called "free martins". There are very few that are not sterile.
yes and those freemartins are the best to butcher!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | I find this to be really kewl... While I delivered truckloads of twins, I've never seen more than two. That calf over on the left side looks almost normal size too.. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1257
Location: Colorado plains standing on a goat head! | When I was working a purebred beef cattle sale barn in Platte City, MO around 1980 there was a commercial cow near there that had quads. They brought them to our barn for display (I guess) during a sale, pretty cool! They called them Eeny, Meeny, etc. too. If I remember correctly, there were two each heifers and bull calves, two black whiteface and two red whiteface. All very healthy. Very rare indeed! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 521
Location: Lone Star State | Wow, I'd love to have live quadruplets right about now...free Martin or not. And out of a heifer on top of that. How lucky are they! |
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